An ominous warning sign, “Price Increase Ahead”, stands alone on the road. Photo courtesy of Infometrics
Whitney Walmer
Associate Arts & Culture Editor
As college students continue their journey into the academic world at Millersville University, with some moving away from home and others commuting to campus, some stressors come to mind. These include anxieties of coming to campus after, the uncertainty of fitting in, and lastly, the effects of inflation.
I noticed the effects of inflation when an elderly woman approached me during one of my weekly grocery shopping trips. She explained that she couldn’t afford groceries from time to time because of how expensive necessities have become as she finds herself not eating. After research and understanding, I realized how much things have come to suck. While some of you may not understand the mechanics of economics or may not know what inflation is, that’s okay.
So, what is inflation?
Inflation is the rise in expenses of supplies such as goods and services according to a period of time, typically a year. To calculate the said goods and services, a basket is conducted to determine the most frequent items purchased and analyze the objects of this basket being purchased over time. The significant change in pricing has directly impacted college students with the cost of room and board, tuition, gas price, and lastly, the routine purchasing of food.
What is the cost of being a student at Millersville University?
The average cost for a full-time student from in-state is $25,388 annually, including tuition, a room, and a meal plan. However, the cost of tuition for out-state students with those same accommodations, the price tag in getting the education desired doubles. Compared to the annual tuition from 2018-19, the annual cost of tuition and fees is $21,923.To afford the academic path, it is almost not an option for a student to apply for financial aid. According to the financial aid department, nearly 82% of students receive financial aid to attend.
How does gas factor among the financial responsibilities?
Understanding that 33% of Millersville students live on campus, while 67% of students live elsewhere, gas is essential for the apparent means of transportation. However, the choice of commuting is going to be made harder with the constant influx occurring in price. With many different ideas of why it is happening, attending school each day has its price. In the Millersville community, the average price for regular fuel is 3.33 a gallon. With students attending school anywhere from 1-3 times a week, that is a lot of money spent on the overall commute that was thought cheaper than living on campus.
What is the average cost of food for a college student?
As food is necessary for living daily life, eating even comes with a price. As the average college student, according to educationdata.org, spends an average of $260 a month on groceries. In comparison, the average cost of groceries does vary by state, making the amount of money spent on the necessities different. Not to mention what is available at the groceries with the perspective of supply and demand, making the usual chore of grocery shopping harder. And not even including the numbers of what an average Millersville student spends food on campus as the meal plan in 30 or more credits the meal plan with the 19 meal swipes per week and $100 flex being $2,100 there are consequences. There are only specific options provided in the meal plans, and certain combinations are allowed in using the swipe or flex.
